Monday, June 6, 2011

Firefighters battle Eleven Mile blaze

Despite those weeks of rain this spring, Colorado Springs is in the midst of what promises to be an especially dry fire season.

The reason: That warm, dry winter was hard on our forests.

The smoke hovering over our area into the weekend was actually from blazes in Arizona and New Mexico, but southern Colorado could be the next hot spot. In fact, firefighters are already battling a 42-acre blaze near Eleven Mile Reservoir in Park County. That fire, thought to be human-caused, is 50 percent contained — a blessing considering this is the same area that had such high winds recently that the fishing boat owned by former mayoral candidate Mitch Christiansen and wife, Susan, capsized, leading them both to drown.

So remember Smokey's old motto: Only you can prevent forest fires. And be careful out there.

Lake George, Colo., June 6, 2011 — Firefighters are working to contain awildfire called the 250 Fire. The fire is estimated at 42 acres, and is 50percent contained, it is located 4 miles north of the Eleven MileReservoir, 8 miles southwest of Lake George, Colorado in Park County.

Approximately 80 firefighters are committed to the incident, including handcrews, engines, and managers from the U.S. Forest Service and the localLake George Volunteer Fire Department. These include two type 1 Hotshotcrews and several engines.

The fire was first reported about 1:00 P.M. on Sunday, June 5, 2011. Thefire is suspected to be human caused, and it is currently underinvestigation by the Park County Sheriff’s Department and the U.S. ForestService. No homes are threatened, and the fire is on the Pike NationalForest burning through ponderosa pine and grass at around 7500 feet inelevation.

The public should be cautious of fire vehicles on the roadways close to thefire, and area residents will see smoke throughout the day.